Blog Posts

The August 2025 cyber breach of Canada’s House of Commons exposed sensitive staff data and highlighted a troubling reality: artificial intelligence is reshaping cyber warfare. Attackers now move at machine speed, exploiting vulnerabilities within days and weaponizing stolen data through AI-driven phishing, ransomware, and deepfakes. Yet the same technology offers defenders new tools for anomaly detection, real-time response, and predictive modelling. This incident is a wake-up call for Canada and other democracies to strengthen AI-powered defences, close governance gaps, and treat cybersecurity as a pillar of national security.

Canada is at a turning point in global cybersecurity. Backed by strong alliances, research excellence, and trusted neutrality, Canada has the chance to move from reliable partner to international leader. This article explores how the new National Cyber Security Strategy positions Canada to lead on AI ethics, quantum resilience, and critical infrastructure protection, while confronting challenges in talent, regulation, and visibility.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping cybersecurity, creating both new threats and powerful defence opportunities. Canada and the UK are deepening cooperation through research partnerships, AI safety initiatives, civil society funding, and policy frameworks that embed democratic values into cyber defence. Their collaboration highlights the risks of uncoordinated AI development, the need for autonomous platforms like SAMI to strengthen resilience, and the opportunity to scale these efforts through the Five Eyes alliance. By aligning technology with ethics and operational readiness, Canada and the UK are positioning themselves to lead global standards for trustworthy AI-driven security.

Elaine Hum, Director of Cybersecurity Partnerships at Scotiabank, highlights the need for diverse, well-trained professionals, real-world learning opportunities, and inclusive hiring to build a sustainable workforce. She stresses that strong partnerships, evolving curricula, mentorship, and lifelong learning are essential to keeping pace with evolving threats. Drawing on Canadian and international models, Hum underscores that every organization, regardless of size, can contribute by fostering talent pipelines, engaging with schools, and supporting skill development, thus turning the challenge into an opportunity for innovation and resilience.

In June 2025, Canada and the EU launched a landmark Security & Defence Partnership, expanding cooperation in crisis management, military mobility, and cybersecurity. The pact emphasizes autonomous threat monitoring, AI governance, and critical infrastructure protection. Similar Canada–UK collaborations reinforce Canada’s strategy of building resilient, tech-driven alliances to safeguard digital sovereignty and defence readiness.

Behind every secure system is more than just technology—it’s a trusted partner. In this interview, cybersecurity sales leader Maria Estepa shares how she builds lasting partnerships, bridges business and tech, and champions inclusion to help redefine what leadership in cybersecurity really looks like.